Masquerade
by Liraeyn
Summary: SEX! Well, actually, no. But it got your attention. Nothing to do with the episode of the same name. AU Twilight/Kill Ari.  Complete!
1. Should have, couldn't

I don't own NCIS. But the plot is something I always thought they should have done instead.

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Author's note: The title, you ask? *sigh* I've always had trouble with those. If anybody has a better idea, (think hidden, deception) please let me know.

Let's play guess-the-point-of-view. That's why this is in first person; the rest of the story will be in third, as the muse seems to prefer.

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I crouched on the rooftop, the scene unfolding before me. The three NCIS agents, Gibbs, DiNozzo, and Todd, were engaged in a fierce firefight with the terrorists, trying to stop them from launching a missile at the navy ship.

I pulled out my rifle, watching as the team shot down the drone. _They would just shoot the transmitter. Typical NCIS behavior. _ Suddenly, Agent Todd jumped in front of a bullet, stopping it from hitting Agent Gibbs. _That, too._

Agents DiNozzo and Gibbs let loose several shots at the shooter, killing him. They ran over to Agent Todd, who was, amazingly, fine. _Bullet-proof vest. _

Suddenly I noticed a glint, as if from a sniper rifle, on the far side of the roof. I pointed my rifle at it-

_It can't be him. He wouldn't- _

But it was.

I knew I should kill him. But there was always the chance I was mistaken about why he was there, and anyway, I couldn't kill my own-

A shot rang out. Agent Todd collapsed, dead.

I recoiled, shocked. For once in my life, I had hesitated to make the shot. And a wonderful person had died because of it.

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Author's note: No, don't worry; I haven't abandoned Repechage. I just got kind of stuck, and decided to be insane and start writing another story. Please review!


	2. Mourning

If I owned NCIS, they would have done it like this. They didn't. Thus, it is left to me to write this fic.

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Author's note: This will somewhat follow canon, but with a few MAJOR twists. I repeat; this is NOT going to be how it went on the show. Why am I reiterating this fact, you ask? You will be surprised. I guarantee it.

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Tony and McGee walked up to Gibbs' desk, dropping evidence bags on it.

"Ari didn't police his brass, boss. Got a bunch of them."

Gibbs snapped out of thinking about Kate. "Can you get those to Abby, please?"

They stared at him. "Sure, Boss."

* * *

Hiding in a dark alley, he smiled to himself. They would never know it had been him. He would make sure of that.

* * *

Ziva lay on her back on a hotel bed, trying to calm down. _Why is everything turning upside-out?_

She sighed. Life seemed to enjoy tormenting her.

* * *

Ducky was beginning Kate's autopsy, trying not to think about how much weaker she looked, the life gone from her. _Death has a way of simplifying things. _

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In her lab, Abby was crying. _I'll miss you, Kate._ Even though she was somewhat obsessed with death, and saw it on a regular basis, she had to stop and take a minute to mourn the loss of her friend.

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Author's note: I know it's kind of deep-thoughts-not-much-going-on, but I always have trouble coming up with enough to say. Reviews/constructive criticism welcome.


	3. Here to protect

We all know I don't own this.

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Author's note: This has never been done before, in any of the stories I have seen. There may be some out there, but I haven't come across them. So most stuff that you see a lot can be ruled out. One exception- I borrowed a character (with permission) from another author's story. (No hints!)

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Ziva walked out of the elevator, heading for a desk where a man sat, staring into space with a goofy look on his face. He was so engrossed in whatever he was thinking that he didn't notice her until she was leaning on his desk, her face mere inches from his.

He jumped. "Can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Special Agent Gibbs."

"Um, you are…?"

She pulled out her badge. "Ziva David. Mossad."

"I'm Tony DiNozzo. Gibbs'll be back in an hour. Maybe I could help?"

Ziva eyed him speculatively. "I do not think so."

"Why not?"

She suddenly dropped the pretense of friendliness. "Because I am here to stop Special Agent Gibbs from killing one of my officers."

"Ari Haswari?"

"Yes."

"He's one of yours?"

She glared at him, as if daring him to say anything. Tony glared back.

"I'd wish you luck, but I want him dead, too."

* * *

Jenny followed Gibbs into the office, both of them overhearing the conversation between Ziva and Tony.

Jenny raised her eyebrows. "Sounds like Mossad thinks he's innocent."

"And sent her to protect him." Gibbs sighed. "Just when I thought this was going to be easy…"

They walked over to Ziva and introduced themselves. She seemed polite, but distracted, and when her cell phone rang, she quickly excused herself.

"Shalom, Ari."

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Author's note: You like it?


	4. Set up?

If they ever decide to give NCIS to a very dedicated fan, I might actually own it. But not until/unless they do that.

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Author's note: Writing like this is in Hebrew.

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"Shalom, Ziva."

"Are you alright?"

There was less-than-humorous laughter from the other end. "I've been a little better. Can you get me out of here?"

"I think so. I _hope_ so."

"Ziva, we need to talk. Face-to-face."

"Where? When?" _Hopefully soon. I miss you, Ari._

They spent some time working out the details. Gibbs walked by Ziva, causing her to silence the conversation for a minute or two. Then:

"Hey, take care of yourself. I don't want to end up with only half a brother." They laughed. It was an old joke. She hesitated. "I love you, Ari."

"I love you too, Ziva," he whispered. They rarely said it, but they knew they could both be dead in a few days. It was better not to have regrets.

"Shalom."

"Shalom."

* * *

In her lab, Abby picked up her phone.

"Gibbs! I need you guys up here! I found something."

* * *

Gibbs, McGee, Tony, Jenny, and Ziva arrived in Abby's lab, watching as the scientist demonstrated her characteristic prowess.

"So I ran the shell casings –this reminds me of a painting I saw in a museum-"

"Abby!"

"And they were fired from a Bravo 51…"

"Oh." Gibbs flinched.

"Isn't that what you used to use in Desert Storm?"

The entire team turned to stare at Ziva.

Gibbs frowned. "How do you know that?"

"She built dossiers on your team for Ari before his first mission here," Jenny put in. "It's typical procedure…"

"That's not all!"

Everyone turned back to Abby.

"I found one of Ari's fingerprints on one of the casings." She glared at Ziva.

"Someone could have put it there," Ziva retorted. "Could have gotten him to touch one of them, dropped it there..."

"Why would someone do that?"

"Everyone has enemies."

"What are you insinuating, Officer David?"

She looked at him sideways, highly confused. "I thought insinuating was when you set fire to something..."

Tony sighed. "That's incinerating. Insinuating is when you're implying something."

"Ah, okay," she replied, comprehending.

Gibbs and Ziva looked at each other, calculatingly, for a long moment. Then:

"I happen to think that if someone wanted Ari dead, making you think that he had killed one of your agents would be an easy way to do it."

"Or maybe he did actually kill her."

"He has been trained his entire life in maintaining his cover- don't you think he would know not to leave a fingerprint on one of the casings? And why on earth would he have left them there in the first place?"

"He could just be trying to throw us off by acting counter-intuitively."

"I do not think so."

Tony interrupted. "I hate to say this, but I think she might be right..."

"Thank you, Agent DiNozzo," she looked at him sideways, not having missed the hidden statement. She looked at her watch. "It is getting late; we can continue this discussion tomorrow."

She walked out without a backward glance.

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Author's note: The plot thickens... what do you guys think is going to happen? By the way, since it's my birthday today, do you think we could get the story up to 16 reviews? That would really make my day.


	5. I have to ask

I happen to own an NCIS hat. But not the show.

Author's note: I have simply omitted a few parts of Twilight. (The explosions at the car and the cafe, and I decided that the missile was a dud or something.) I normally wouldn't just eliminate problems, but it's too complicated at this point to write around them. Just saying.

Ziva parked her car along the curb, noting the motorcycle at the curb as she did so. She flashed her lights three times, then got out.

"Shalom, Ziva."

"Ari!"

"Shh..." He put a finger on her lips, kissing her on her cheek. "Don't want to be overheard."

She kissed him back, then dispensed with the formalities and put her arms around him, leaning her head on his shoulder. He hugged her back, smiling slightly.

Abby was going over security tapes from the rooftop.

"Gibbs! I need you back here-" He appeared at her side with a Caf-Pow! "How do you- never mind. Thanks!" She took a sip.

"Okay, so I was cleaning up the tapes- do you remember that time some guy apparently fell off a cliff, and then we had to- getting back on topic, whoa-"

She showed him a picture of the rooftop. Abby and Gibbs looked at each other, startled.

Ziva broke away from her brother, reaching into her pocket.

"I got the..." she handed him a passport and envelope with money.

"Thanks."

"Ari..."

He looked up at her.

"You know Father told me to kill you..."

"I know."

"And I'm not going to, but I have to ask... did you kill Agent Todd?"

Ari stared at his sister, unable to answer.


	6. Not what you think

I still don't own NCIS. I also don't own either of the new characters in this chapter. One of them is from the show, and I borrowed the other (thank you, Mercury Marbles!)

Author's note: The last chapter had a few technological glitches, I know, and wasn't very long. I was writing really fast before I ran out of computer time (I share with my mom because my own is sick), and wanted to get it written and posted as soon as possible. Apologies for any confusion/clarity issues. By the way, Matityahu (Mati) is Hebrew for "gift of God".

"Ziva..." _It's not what you think. _

She backed away from her brother, a look of horror on her face. He reached toward her, then stopped. _What can I possibly tell her?_

The spell was broken as a car screeched to a halt at the curb, the door opening almost before it stopped. Ari and Ziva turned toward it, guns drawn-

"Now, you're not really going to shoot me in front of little Matityahu, are you?"

Ari stared at the dark figure venomously. "Hello, _Father_."

"What if he just didn't see him? I mean, they were pretty far away from each other..."

"He was looking at him with a sniper scope, Abby; those are pretty effective binoculars."

"Okay, maybe he just didn't realize what Dirtbag was up to."

Gibbs sighed. _Just when I thought things were going to be simple... _

"Maybe. Work on getting an I.D. on the mystery guy."

Eli David smiled at his children.

"Get in the car."

Ziva still looked like she was in shock. Ari started to protest.

"Why should I-"

"You know very well what will happen if you don't." Eli reached into the car, pulling out a very young boy, holding a gun to his head.

"Mati..." Ziva stared helplessly at her little brother.

"In the car. Now."

Ari put his hand on his sister's shoulder.

"Come on, Ziva. We'll work this out."

All they could do was obey their father, as they had been forced to do all their lives.

Author's note: You're probably confused. I suggest re-reading the prologue. (Hint, hint!)


	7. Mati

remialcsiD.

Author's note: I always thought the order of the genres was indicative of where the story was going- like romance/tragedy is a romantic relationship that ends in tragedy, but tragedy/romance is two people overcoming a tragedy through their love for each other (or something equally cheesy). Do note the genres of this fic. On another note, Mati is about three or four years old.

Ari put his arms around Ziva as they sat in the back of the car. Eli was driving them off to who-knows-where; it was hard to tell.

"It'll be okay, Ziva. We'll get through this."

"No; you won't." Eli smirked to himself.

They pulled up at an abandoned warehouse. Eli got out, then pointed the gun at them.

"Out of the car and into the building, you two."

He had ignored Mati, who managed to slip out without being seen.

"McGee and I ran the picture of the shooter through Mossad's database-"

"How'd you get in there?" Tony was incredulous.

"Ah, don't go there." Abby sipped the Caf-Pow! that Gibbs had brought her. McGee chimed in.

"You're not going to believe this. He's one of the deputy directors. Name's Eli David."

Gibbs choked on his coffee. "David? Like Ziva?"

"It's actually a pretty common Israeli last name, Boss-" Gibbs smacked McGee on the back of his head.

"How many times do I have to tell you, McGee; I don't believe in coincidences. Tony! Find out why Ari wouldn't shoot him. McGee, work on locating Ziva. She seems to have disappeared."

Mati ran through the streets, his only thought to get as far away as possible from his father, and then to get help for his brother and sister. Suddenly he realized he was back at the corner where Eli had captured Ziva and Ari.

He looked around. His siblings' cell phones were on the ground, next to two bullet-proof vests and an impressive array of weapons which Eli had confiscated from his older children.

One of the knives caught his attention. Ziva had used it for throwing sometimes, occasionally teaching him a few basics. He picked it up, balancing it in his hand.

_Where are you guys? I need you. _

Author's note: I have examined all the evidence, and this story wants a few hints of Kari. No other ships, though. They're not my strong point. (Apparently being confusing is.) :)


	8. Marie

I don't own NCIS. If I did, they wouldn't keep having such annoying season endings. But I do own Marie.

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Author's note: This chapter is dedicated, jointly, to Pandora of Ithilien and xxxAprilxxx (I have to ask, why such strange screen names), because you two have been my most faithful reviewers. Really, all my reviewers (and even those that don't) are awesome.

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Marie walked briskly along the sidewalk, trying to get home before her mom panicked. Her backpack bounced on her shoulders as she rounded a corner-

A young boy sat on the sidewalk, playing with a small knife. An odd assortment of other weapons lay on the sidewalk next to- _Bullet-proof vests? What is going on? _She looked around quickly, but there were no signs of any adults that could be responsible for him.

The little boy looked up, scared. Marie crouched next to him.

"Hi. I'm Marie." She pointed to herself.

"Mati." He looked at her sideways, wary. She sat down next to him on the sidewalk.

"Well, let's see if your parents come find you, Mati."

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"Anything, Dinozzo? McGee?"

"Not yet, Boss-"

"I've got something. You know when Ziva got called by someone right after you came back with that lovely friend of yours-"

_Smack! _

"She's the director of NCIS, McGee."

"Okay, when you came back with the director… anyway, I couldn't get a number on who called her, but I got _her_ number."

"Can you get a fix on the phone with that thing you do with all the typing…"

"Um, it's called- never mind. On it, Boss."

A few minutes of typing later…

"Can't get a fix unless we are actually talking to her…"

"Then call her. Put it on speaker phone."

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One of the phones rang. Marie tentatively picked it up, flipping it open.

"Um, hi; I found this phone on the sidewalk…"

There was a sound like snapping fingers on the other end.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Marie Bell, and I live around hereish."

"Okay, stay where you are and don't touch anything."

"I'm at the corner of-"

"We already know where you are."

"I'm trying to figure out if that's amazing or disturbing. Not unlike the opening ceremonies in Beijing…"

Marie realized that she was on a dead line. She laughed to herself quietly.

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Author's note: Sometimes, authors like to put themselves in their stories. E.g., McGee, Homer, my brother (Iliad film for a senior project), Peter Jackson, a few fanfiction authors whose names I don't remember, and, of course, me.


	9. Brother's Keeper

I own Marie. I, in fact, own a very nice cat named Marie. And now two awesome doggies! :) But I don't own NCIS.

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Author's note: This chapter is for KidonDarkAngel, my newest reviewer.

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Jenny quickly descended the stairs, going over to the plasma screen. Gibbs wordlessly replayed the video.

"So, Jethro, it seems perhaps you were wrong?"

"Jen-"

She smacked him on the shoulder.

"Ahem, _Director Shepard_, unless I can find a _very_ good reason for Ari to have let that-" a rumble of thunder fortunately covered what Gibbs was about to say- "_murder_ Kate, I am still holding him responsible- what are you to still doing here? I told you to go find Ziva!"

Tony and McGee looked at each other from where they had been eavesdropping behind the plasma, wondering how Gibbs could have possibly known.

"On it, Boss!"

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Marie sat on the sidewalk, watching a dejected-looking Mati, who was staring at everyone who walked past. Of course, most of them were staring back, wondering what on earth a teenage girl, a very young boy, and a bunch of weapons were possibly doing on the sidewalk in the middle of the night. _They're not the only ones. _A black car pulled up at the curb, and two men stepped out.

"Ahm, hi?"

The men pulled out id. cards- _It's like I've stepped into one of those cop shows. This is cool!_

"We're Very Special Agents DiNozzo, McGee."

"Are you the guys who called the phone?"

"That was our boss, but yes, same agency. I can presume you're the one who answered it?"

"One can presume that your presumption is correct, presuming, of course that we are talking about the same call…"

Marie realized that she was once again talking to herself, as the agents had moved on.

!i!i!i!i!i!i!

"She is so weird," McGee whispered to Tony. "Almost as weird as Ab- whoa."

They had spotted Mati. They exchanged a sideways glance.

"Tony, he looks like-"

"I know who he looks like, McWaytostatetheobvious."

McGee sighed. "It's getting more and more complicated."

Tony did likewise. "Or more and more simple."

!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!

Marie coughed. "Can I leave now? Because if I'm out too late, my mom tends to send out the proverbial artillery- oops, too late."

A dark van had pulled up at the curb, a teenage guy at the wheel.

"Is that your boyfriend?"

Marie glared at Tony.

"That's my brother, Josh. And, by the way, he's nowhere near cute enough for me to date him."

With that, she left.

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Eli, Ari, and Ziva stood in a triangle, each suspicious of the others. Ziva had no idea what was going on, and subsequently went into defensive mode. Ari was burning with hatred towards Eli, but didn't want to give him an excuse to hurt either of his children. Not that he really needed one. Eli just hated them both.

"Will somebody just tell me what the heck is going on?" Ziva snarled.

"You two are getting an obedience lesson." Eli had a very unpleasant grin on his face.

"Translation: We rebelled, so he gets to kill us, apparently_,_" Ari whispered to his sister.

"Oh, joy_._"

"Considering you're the one who started this entire mess-"

Eli pointed his gun at Ari, ceasing the sarcastic banter between the siblings. Ari figured his chances couldn't get much worse.

"_I_ started it? _You're_ the one who-"

At the split second that Eli fired the gun, Ziva flung herself at her brother, knocking him out of the way. They fell to the ground, Ari unharmed, but Ziva covered in blood.

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Author's note: I am sorry about the long break in updates, but I've been really busy. (Hiking in Colorado=Epic Win!) I was _trying_ to get one last update before I left, but the website wasn't working. :(

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Other Author's note: I tried to post this earlier, but I don't think it worked- *Gibbsslaps technology*. Anyway, I hope this works.


	10. Hinky

I think they should make NCIS in the public domain. But that might not be good for the show's integrity. And I am not even entirely sure who "they" are. Anyway, I don't own it.

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Back in the office, the team was formulating theories. Tony, going first, jumped to his usual conclusion.

"Okay, so Ari and Ziva are married, and they have this kid, and Ziva's father just found out, doesn't approve, and decides to get rid of Ari, and Kate got in the way?"

Jenny added her input. "And Ari doesn't want to kill his father-in-law?"

Gibbs broke in.

"Ari's so deep undercover, any relationships are probably unofficial, so I doubt they're married. And I still think there's something we're missing."

"So they're not married; they just should be?"

"Well, Tony; I've never heard it put quite like that before."

"I still don't get something," McGee put in. Everyone turned to look at him. "Eli has this whole elaborate plan, and then he gets caught by security cameras? Unless they weren't supposed to work…"

"Any signs of sabotage on the camera system?"

"None whatsoever."

"Maybe someone was supposed to, but didn't…?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Tony! Put out a BOLO on all three of them. McGee, keep going over those tapes."

"Where are you going?"

"To get some Caf-Pow!."

Tony and McGee stared at him, confused. Gibbs smacked them both.

"For Abby."

"Ah."

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"This is hinky, Gibbs!" Abby grabbed the Caf-Pow! and slurped it.

"What's 'hinky'?"

"I ran Mati's DNA against a sample of what I know to be Ziva's- here, have a look." She showed Gibbs the screen.

"It looks like a match. Are you surprised? It seemed most likely that she was his mother."

"That's what you might think, but she's not. The match isn't right."

"So they're related, but he's not her kid?"

"So it would seem. I'm still trying to figure out what this could mean."

Gibbs walked toward the door. "Good work, Abs. But I'm kind of wondering how you got Ziva's DNA…"

"I'm not allowed to."

He stopped, turning around and smiling at her. "I know."

Abby smiled back. "Continue wondering."

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Author's note: That's it. The end. I have to move on with my life, and as such will just abandon this story, the characters that I have gotten into an incredible mess, and my wonderful reviewers.

Okay, just kidding. I wouldn't do that to you guys. You guys are great. And it would be really mean to not get Ari and Ziva out of their current predicament. Or, at least, let you guys know what happens to them. I will be updating soon, don't worry.


	11. Divine intervention, please

I apparently don't even own the stuff in my own room, so I definitely don't own NCIS.

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"I still don't get why Eli dumped their stuff." McGee was confused, as usual. "And what about the kid?"

"He left it where he picked them up, so they wouldn't have it, and he wouldn't leave a trail. He most likely used their kid as bait, then once he had them he abandoned the kid so he wouldn't have to keep an eye on him?"

Gibbs walked in. "That makes sense, except for the part where he's not their kid."

"What?"

"Abby ran the DNA, and she says Ziva's a close relative, but not his mother."

"What kind of close relative?"

"She's still working on it-"

Tony's phone rang. He stared at the number, not recognizing it. He flicked it open.

"Very Special Agent Tony DiNozzo here."

"_Oh, hey, it's you again. Okay I saw something really weird-" McGee started tracing the call. "This kind of oldish guy was forcing two people into an old warehouse, and he had a gun- I'm pretty sure it was a gun; I don't really deal with that sort of thing much-" _

"Did the two other people look like they could be the parents of that little kid you found?"

"_Pretty much." _

"Except they're not."

"_Well, you guys are probably going to figure it out, like you probably know exactly where I am right now." _

McGee stared at Tony, mouthing 'I got it'.

"Well, Marie, it's been nice chatting with you, and you've been really helpful-"

"_Meaning you actually did trace the call." _

"Good grief; she's you, Boss," McGee whispered to Gibbs.

"Are you still next to the warehouse?"

"_Building across the street." _

"Okay, stay in there and hidden; we'll be right over."

"_Bye!" _

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Ari crouched next to Ziva, swearing under his breath as he tried to stop the bleeding. Ziva half-gasped in pain as he pressed on the bullet wound. _Broken ribs._

"I do regret having to cause you both so much pain, but you brought it upon yourself. If you two obeyed me as you should-"

"Ziva did not do anything wrong."

"Except stopping me from killing you, you mean. And I would not be so sure about Ziva's loyalties. Besides, I know that you would rather have the bullet in you. But that does not matter. Right now, you two should just hope that NCIS does not show up."

"Why?"

"Because if they did, it means that you are both traitors, and will both die."

_As if we wouldn't anyway,_ Ari thought to himself, lying down next to Ziva and putting his arms around her.

"Children of the devil," Eli muttered to himself.

Even though she was barely conscious, Ziva managed to lift her head and look at Ari, an amused look in her eyes. He smiled back. She passed out completely. He sighed.

_If anybody is thinking of implementing a really impressive bit of divine intervention, now would be a good time. _

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Author's note: Actually, I don't have anything to say. I'm just accustomed to putting a note at the end.


	12. No

Non habeo NCIS.

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Author's note: I could use a bunch of excuses, but really, it's summer, and I've been goofing off a lot lately. It's like my mind has been rejecting doing anything productive.

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"Abby!"

"Yes?"

Gibbs handed her Mati.

"Get yourselves hidden somewhere. Ducky and Palmer, too. I don't want any of you getting hurt."

"Okay."

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Ari stared at the ceiling, memories rushing through his mind, the first a report he wished they'd never heard...

_Gibbs was standing in MTAC, utterly furious that a pedophile was being protected by someone who didn't even show their face, a dark shadow on a screen. _

"_Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS. You either give up Purcell, or I will personally compromise the identity of this man: Ari Haswari, our link to Al-Qaeda. Or a child molester..." _

And then the orders came...

"_You two get in here. Now." Eli looked even more irritated than usual. _

_Ziva followed Ari into Eli's office, shutting and locking the door behind her. Eli handed each of them a copy of a report. They read them, faces retaining their usual non-expression. Ari handed his back first. _

"_So?" _

"'_So'?" Eli was livid. "They threatened your cover and all you can say is 'so'? They were ordered to forget about you. Obviously, we need to send them a more direct message." _

_The meaning behind Eli's statement sunk in almost instantly. Ari's mouth dropped open. _

"_You're going to kill Agent Gibbs?" _

"_Don't be silly. It would be far more punishing to target one of his agents. He deserves it anyway." _

"_Who?" But Ari already knew. After what had happened to Gibbs' wife and daughter... _

"_One with whom I believe you've had some dealings: Caitlin Todd." Eli smiled maliciously. _

"_Kill her." _

_That was, Ari would later reflect, the first time in his life he had instantly rejected orders. He had sometimes resisted them, or delegated them, or deliberately messed something up, but never... _

"_No." _

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	13. This, obviously, is not my day

Irish. Delta Oscar. November Oscar Tango. Oscar Whiskey November. November Charlie India Sierra.

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Author's note: That's the NATO phonetic alphabet (as found on Wikipedia). You know you're a geek when...

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Gibbs was driving. Tony and McGee were strapped into the back seat, trying to hold on.

"Look, I know we need to get there quickly, but if we get in a crash and kill ourselves, is that going to do anyone any good? McThrowingup, roll down your McWindow."

McGee took Tony's advice, needing the fresh air.

"Well, we didn't die. We're here!"

They all hopped out, pulling out their guns as they ran into the building.

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Eli walked back into the room, pointing his gun at Ari. "Get up."

Ari wisely did as he was told. Eli pointed another gun at Ziva, who was barely conscious.

"Why are you hurting her? She didn't do anything wrong-"

"Agents from NCIS are currently hunting us down, I presume because of what they saw on the security tapes. Perhaps you do not remember that Ziva was supposed to get rid of the cameras?" He shoved Ari away from Ziva, toward a door to a different room. "Get in there. I'll deal with you later, after those interfering idiots."

A few minutes later, Ari found himself handcuffed to the wall, with his hands behind his back, his head pounding savagely, and blood on his face from Eli hitting him with a gun.

_This, __clearly__, is not my day. Night. Whatever. _

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Author's note: Ziva will be fine if and only if I get some nice reviews for this chapter. :)


	14. Because I'm smarter than you

If I owned NCIS, they would have had the season premiere air way sooner! I mean, even _I_ don't take that long to update, do I?

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Author's note: This chapter is dedicated to pirate-princess1.

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Abby sat in one corner of Autopsy, looking over the printouts of the DNA analyses.

"I just can't figure these out, Ducky. They sort of match, but..."

"Let me have a look."

Ducky held the papers up to the light, overlapping them. "That doesn't make any sense, unless..."

He glanced at Mati, who was staring at the floor, looking worried.

"Oh, my."

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Ari pulled at the cuffs, trying to slip out. The one on his right hand was loose…

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Gibbs, Tony, and McGee ran into the building, kicking open the door, guns drawn. McGee glanced through a doorway, noticing Ziva lying on the floor. "Hey, there's Ziva-"

The door slammed shut behind them. Tony gasped as Eli grabbed him around the neck, nearly choking him. Gibbs and McGee aimed their weapons at Eli, but Tony was in the way.

"Drop your weapons, all three of you."

McGee, Tony and Gibbs wisely did as "suggested". Gibbs started off the questions.

"Why did you kill Kate?"

Eli smiled horribly. "To teach you a lesson, which you obviously didn't learn. You really need to mind your own business."

"If we did that, we wouldn't be doing our jobs."

"I'll admit that. But it's going to get you killed."

"You'd never get away with it," McGee put in. "We have enough evidence-"

"Would it surprise you to learn that I am, in fact, authorized to order the death of anyone I wish? And, by the way, they'll think that Ari killed all three of you, and even his own sister while he was at it, and I arrived too late to help and could only finish him off. I know how to make it look like-"

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Ari quietly opened the door, cautiously peering through to where Ziva lay, absolutely still.

_Ziva! _

_Calm down, you idiot. She'll be all right. Just grab her and get out- _

_And then what, hm? Abandon NCIS to __**him**__ while they came here to help you and Ziva? Be real, Ari. You know that's wrong. _

Ari sighed, kneeling next to Ziva and putting a hand on her cheek. _It might not make a difference anyway. We're all probably sitting geese anyway. _

Ziva gasped, opening her eyes. "Ari! What's-" Ari clapped a hand over her mouth, silencing her. He pointed at the closed door. "Those NCIS agents are through there, and I think he's going to kill them." She nodded sadly, then pressed something into his hand. A gun, with a fully loaded clip.

"How'd you manage to hide that- never mind, we'll talk later." He stood up, resigned.

"Ari?"

He looked back, to see Ziva smirking at him.

"Because I'm smarter than you."

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A broken window in the door. Sneaking up to it. Eli saying something about making it look like Ari had killed everyone. Aiming the gun…

A gunshot.

Eli fell to the ground, dead.

"Sorry to spoil your plan," Ari whispered, almost to himself.

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Author's note: I'm sorry this took forever to update. I've been really busy with school and such, but I think I've earned a reward with a few reviews- I took the PSAT this morning. (Sore arm.) By the way, I am required to tell you guys that Michigan's football team is really good. But that is the closest I will ever get to saying it.


	15. I hate it when he does that

I do not own NCIS. But I kind of own the plot.

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Ari slowly lowered the gun. Gibbs and McGee were staring at him, but he barely noticed.

_Why do you feel so bad about it? You know it was the right thing to do, don't you? _

_Of course I do; I just can't believe I- _

_Well, I can. _

_Can what? _

_Believe that you just- _

_Okay, will you two just shut up? You're giving me an even worse headache than I got from- _

_Ziva! _

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McGee was even more confused than usual. "I don't understand. If she's his sister, then -"

Gibbs held up a finger, silencing him as his phone rang.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

It was Abby. "What's going on?"

"Eli David's dead. Ari killed him."

"Well, he should be glad I didn't get my hands on him- are you guys okay?"

"Mostly. Tony's a little bashed up. I think Ziva's hurt. McGee's calling an ambulance- ahem; _McGee's calling an ambulance!" _

McGee, who had been doing no such thing, caught Gibbs' hint and flicked open his phone, dialing away.

"And I think I figured out the DNA thing-"

"Yeah, they're siblings. I got it."

On the other end, Abby was slightly disappointed.

"I really hate it when he does that…"

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Gibbs walked through the door into the other room. Ari crouched next to Ziva, worried. He started and whirled around, a look in his eyes like an injured tiger that has been cornered.

"What happened?"

Ari sighed. "He-" he jerked his head in the direction of the other room- "shot at me, and she jumped in the way." His head throbbed painfully, and he rubbed it, grinning ruefully. "Then he hit me over the head with his gun… I may have actually deserved that one."

Gibbs laughed quietly, nodding. "I would agree, but I normally prefer a hand to a gun." Everything was quiet for a moment. "McGee called an ambulance." Ari nodded appreciatively. Then: "She's your sister?" Ari nodded again. "Then Eli _David_-"

"He was my father." Ari glanced in the direction of the door for a brief instant. "However little he actually rated the term…" He sighed. "Right now I just want to take care of Ziva."

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	16. Pick on Ari Day

Not mine, still…

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"I'm still confused."

"About what?"

"What?"

"I am confused as to the reason for your confusion."

They were all in a hospital room, waiting for Ziva to regain consciousness. The doctors had managed to get Ari's head moderately bandaged before he'd shrugged them off, saying he could take care of himself.

"Ah, poor McFlummoxed is in a perpetual state of confusion. Goes with the Probie territory."

McGee glared at Tony, clearly irritated. "I'm not saying you should have, but if he was threatening you and Ziva, why wouldn't you-" he broke off.

Ari sighed. "It's just- she was good, you know? I mean, the first time I saw her, she went into a completely unknown situation, one that could have easily killed her, just because her friend was too scared. I- I really admire that… But it's not like it made any difference in the end. She's still dead."

There was a pause, then: "You liked her." This from Tony, who was _almost_ managing to hide a smirk.

"A little, I guess…"

"Try a lot. I caught you staring at a photo of her more than once."

"Ziva! You're awake! Ow!"

Ziva had punched him on his arm. "I've been awake for a while, bozo, waiting for you to notice."

"Ziva, you hadn't moved at all; how was I supposed to notice?"

Tony and McGee wisely slipped out.

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Back in the office, Ziva and Ari were overjoyed to reunite with their baby brother. Mati, on the other hand, was rather ambivalent, only looking at his sister. Ari tried to catch his attention, albeit unsuccessfully.

"Hey, Mati-"

"Ziva!" Ziva, smiling widely, knelt and hugged him tightly. Flicking her eyes over to Ari, she smirked. Ari rolled his eyes.

"I get smacked with a gun, my little sister keeps picking on me, and Mati doesn't even want to say hi… Did I miss the announcement that today has been declared International Pick on Ari Day?"

Tony walked past. "You know, I think we could make a lot more of those days… You know, your hair is kind of sticking up right there-"

"Hey!" Ziva was not amused.

"What?"

"_I_ pick on my brother. Nobody else gets to." She turned to Ari. "You look like you have a porcuswine on your head- wrong word…"

"Porcupine, Ziva."

"Whatever."

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Author's note: So here's a recent strange happening. My writer's block ran off with my notebook, and I had to find a substitute paper. The result: marker writing all over my legs. Kind of reminded me of Cracked. Anyway, please review!


	17. Decision

If I owned NCIS, the entire Season 7-Season 8 thing wouldn't have happened and Vance would have quit by now.

Well, it turns out this is the last chapter. They always seem to sneak up on me. Well, anyway, enjoy; and please leave me a goodbye review!

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The scene was almost typical for right after one of their missions. Hanging out in some random hotel room, eating junk food.

But it wasn't typical.

Mossad was furious about Eli's death, and Ari had made onto their Most Wanted list. Both siblings knew that they had very little time to disappear.

Asleep on one of the beds, Mati was fortunately oblivious to the danger. Small mercy, that.

Grabbing a handful of popcorn, Ziva munched carefully, trying not to jostle her injured ribs. Ari silently watched her, lacking a substantial appetite.

When the popcorn bowl was nearly empty, Ziva spent several minutes trying to fish every single piece out of the bowl. Ari hesitated, then took the bowl from his sister, causing some consternation on her part.

"It's over, Ziva."

She nodded morosely. "That and everything else we've been doing for our entire lives… What the heck are we supposed to do now?"

"That's what we need to talk about. I've been working on new I.D.'s for us, but I need to know-" He pulled a passport out of his pocket and handed to Ziva. She flicked it open and laughed.

"Nice photo."

Rolling his eyes, Ari reached over and took the passport back. "That's mine. And I got two different ones for you… You ever seen The Matrix?" Ziva nodded. "Well, that part where the guy gets offered the two different pills-"

"Skip to the point, Ari, before I tie you up with fishing line to act out the rest of the movie."

Ari gulped and wisely continued, pulling two more passports out of his other pocket. "This one-" he held up the one in his right hand- "is for a new I.D. that has nothing to do with Mossad, NCIS, or me. You take this one, you and Mati can start over and not have to worry about all the people who hate me trying to hurt you, you never have to put up with me putting you in danger- you don't have to worry about any of that. Or you can take this one-" he showed her the passport in his left hand- "which means that we stay together, and I'll protect you from whatever I can, but it's going to be a lot more dangerous than if you were on your own."

Ziva nodded, understanding. _What am I supposed to do? Abandon Ari for my own safety? And Mati's, I suppose… We're supposed to protect each other; that's part of the whole sibling deal… _

Finally, she made her decision. Reaching out, she took one of the passports from Ari and put it in her pocket. Ari put one arm around her, careful not to squeeze her ribs too hard. Kissing her on the cheek, he whispered into her ear.

"I love you."

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Author's note: Yep; that's the end. I leave it up to you which one she chose. I know; not exactly the world's happiest ending, but maybe (if people want me to) I'll write a separate story as an alternate ending to this one –maybe Ari and Ziva come to work for NCIS? That's been done a lot, but I'm considering it…


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